About Me

I am the mother of four, wife of an Orthodox priest, an Emergency Medical Dispatcher, and a Quality junkie. I am learning to breathe deeply and to look past things as they seem to be and to try and see things as they really are.

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Health and Wellness

When health is absent Wisdom can not reveal itself,Art cannot be exerted,Wealth is useless and Reason is powerless.---Herophilies 300bc

I have recently discovered two fabulous books, by Dr Joey Shulman.The Natural Makeover Diet is a "four step program to looking and feeling your best from the inside out". It is an easy to understand and implement program. The main idea is that we need to be mindful of what we are putting into our bodies because many signs of aging, digestive complaints and random aches and pains as well as more serious things like asthma are directly related to what we consume. It suggests an easy to follow five day cleanse to start things off. Then changing the way you eat to include primary foods; none of this heat-up-in-the-microve stuff and adds omega 3s and fiber to help out your system. It is a do-able diet!I find it shocking that the main stream allopathic medical mindset does not even consider the effect of nutrition on health. A number of years ago I was quite ill with ulcerative colitis and the Gastroenterologist told me that I needed to have surgery ASAP to TAKE OUT PART OF MY COLON. Now I was pretty sure that this was NOT a good idea. I was pointed toward an incredibly gifted healer, Naturopathic Physician Cathy Carlson-Rink, and she did a detailed analysis of my whole life, not just the symptoms of colitis. Wow. I had to fill out a 12 page document that asked questions about my sleeping patterns, eating patterns, cravings, energy levels, symptoms etc etc. A thorough physical assessment and Vega Allergy testing provided more clues to the puzzle. Cathy had me eliminate all dairy and meat from my diet and gave my supplement to repair the intestinal flora that had been decimated by all the drugs I had been given to take away the symptoms of my disease. Arrgg! Within a week I felt measurably better. Now it took about a year to completely heal, but one year later I was not only symptom free but completely disease free. I was not on any pharmaceuticals. I was healed by naturopathic remedies and diets changes. Makes one wonder who benefits from our allopathic hack-em-up approach: the surgeons? the drug companies? They certainly won't be able to buy their summer homes if we all stared eating whole foods and exercising. Explain to me why the first treatment for hypertension or high cholestrol or diabetes is drugs? Does that make sense to anyone???? Don't worry about the 7 cheeseburgers you eat per week, just take a pill. We don't expect any self restraint...belly up to the bar and remember to take your Zantac!What is it about our culture that encourages people to live it up and not accept responsibility for their actions? And then we teach it to our kids.....Is your child constantly wanting sweets or bread or cereal or any other carbs? Is she a "picky" eater? Does he have a hard time transitioning from one activity to the next? Are her sleep patterns wonky? Dr Joey has another book called Winning the Food FightIt is a parent's guide to raising a healthy, happy child. FABULOUS! It has recipes and ideas for getting your kids on board and eating healthily. I believe that much of what ails us could be rectified by implementing a healthy lifestyle, so why don't we all do it? We are always looking for the quick fix and the easy way out. Well kids, nothing is easy and if it looks like it is too good to be true--it is.

4 comments:

i totally agree! but i admit that i don't always eat as well as i should...

when i was looking for a new doctor a few years ago i met one and my first question to her was whether she prescribed drugs right away for every complaint. she said she didn't and that she would much rather find other ways to mend people. for years now i haven't had a prescribed drug. it is nice to find a doctor willing to listen to what i know about my body and to suggest alternatives to drugs.

after my drug free claim i went to the allergist finally and he decided that after all the food tests came up negative and the environmental ones like alder, dogs and cats came up positive that my cold was actually an allergic reaction. it is a COLD!!!! he prescribed some kind of nasal spray to me and told me i should consider allergy injections regularily. i smiled and said thanks. i have NO intention of doing either. i know my body. IT IS A COLD!